


You Were the Only One

by EvenMoreGrump



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Kinks, M/M, Multi, Naughty Stuff, Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-15
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-01-19 13:23:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1471420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvenMoreGrump/pseuds/EvenMoreGrump
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan and Reader...  then some other stuff as I go along. Major kink/fets to follow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

You can feel his eyes on you, but you don’t bother to look. Listening to his voice as he sings is good enough to pretty much bring you to your knees. He knows he has you wrapped around his finger and that doesn’t bother you. Not for a second. As the song comes to a close, people are cheering, pumping him up for what’s to come later. Finally, you raise your gaze and meet his eyes, the look of absolute devotion evident in your smile. He can’t help but chuckle and bow his head in your direction, thanking the crowd before disappearing behind the curtain. His tall form is gone and you’re left with the slam of reality coming back to you. For the longest time, it was just you and him but now that he wasn’t there anymore you had only reality to focus on. The crowd began to clear the venue but you remained in the small area, leaning against a far wall to wait for him to appear again.

Catching movement from a side door next to the stage, you push off and meet the mysterious man half way. You can smell the old leather of his jacket, sweat from being under those hot lights for over an hour but it’s all so intoxicating. You look up and without a word, he bends down to place a hungry kiss on your lips. It knocks all the wind and sense out of you, arms wrapping around his neck to keep him as close to you as possible. All you want is to be close with him, always. Forever. He was everything you could have ever wanted and more. Your hands snake in to his wild mane of hair, earning a low growl from him wantingly. His large hands settle on your hips, allowing your body to press firmly in to his. You can feel his breathing, hear it through his nose.

“I missed you..” His voice was a muffled whisper against your mouth, causing a laugh so shudder between you. “So much.”

“I could say the same..” You respond in a teasing voice, breathless as you pull away. He looks down at you, smiling that all too contagious smile. “Wanna get out of here?”

Danny nodded, his hair flopping about along with his head. You ruffle it up a little more before turning, feeling his hand capture yours as you drag him out the back where you’re sure not to be spotted. Your car is waiting there, ready for both of you. Tossing him the keys, you climb in to the passenger seat and allow him the seat of control. He pulls out and follows the road down to your place, a small and humble apartment on the lower end of town. He wastes no time in parking the car in the driveway and leading you inside, up the elevator and to your apartment. Number six.

It’s then your anticipation begins to grow, hands shaking a little while you try to unlock and open the door. You feel him drop a kiss on to your head before taking the keys delicately from your hands, slipping the correct one in to the slot and turning it with ease. The door swings open and you both step inside, greeted by a cold feeling and pleasent scent. Danny shakes his head, shrugging out of his jacket as he notes the scent of boisenberry. You’re bashful, but nod to him as your own jacket falls off your shoulders. The answering machine is blinking, 4 unheard messages announcing their presence but you’re all too caught up in the man before you.

The moon shines in through the window opposite you, casting a white glow over the tall man now leaning back against the door. You kick off your shoes and trail your eyes up his body until you’re staring at his face again. Everything in your head goes quiet, the sounds of cars rushing by and life going on outside this little world you’ve created with him completely nonexistent once again. It’s just the two of you, and that’s all you knew you could ever want. He locks the door and begins to stalk toward you. Your heart is pounding in your ears and you stumble back, eventually falling over the arm of the couch.

There isn’t a second for you to regain composure or sit up as he pounces, hovering over you and trapping your body down against the couch. He’s staring, deep in to your eyes with a look of absolute need. His nose gently brushes against your cheek as he trails kisses down the side of your face and neck, allowing a soft moan to escape your mouth. He sucks at the skin meeting your neck and shoulder, leaving a love bruise to let anyone who saw you know, you belonged to him and only him. His hands crawled up your shirt, finger tips brushing against your skin and leaving you arching in to him for more. You wanted to feel every part of his body against yours, connected forever. 

His hands warm to the touch of your body, goosebumps trailing up your arms as you change temperatures. The heat begins to rise, even with each layer of clothes you both shed. You lay back as he fumbles with his belt and steps out of his pants, tossing them aside carelessly. You can barely make out his form from the moon’s glow but it isn’t long before his weight is heavy on top of you again, compromising your breathing just a little. But you love it, the way he pants against your ear, the way he tugs at your hair as you kiss. Every sense in your body is on fire.

“Danny..” Your voice whines out at him, nails digging in to the soft flesh of his back. Your fingers linger over his spine, the feeling against his skin slightly protruding in a delicious manor. You can feel him getting more and more bothered, the sound of his name on your mouth always seemed to drive him right crazy. Being a quiet person, your voice always did something to him when you voiced it, much like his did something to you. 

“What is it, baby?” He gives you a sly grin you can barely see ghosting on his lips, “what do you want?”

“Don’t be this way.” You’re breathless, writhing even more underneath him as you try to create friction between you. You need him and he knows it, liking the power he has and his ability to make you cream without even trying.

“Close your eyes.” He says, in that hushed tone you love so much, “just close your eyes and let me take you...”

And of course you do, because whatever Dan wants he gets. No matter what it is.


	2. Chapter 2

You’re awake rather late the next day, the night you spent with Danny having completely exhausted you. You take great care in getting free from his embrace, groaning as you stretch yourself out, feeling tense muscles straining and a few cracking bones. Reaching for the nearest piece of clothes, you tug on Dan’s shirt and limp slightly toward the bathroom. On your way, you notice your reflection in a wall mounted mirror and glance over. An amused laugh escapes you, seeing your hair a wild mess and your makeup smeared and faded. You have to admit, though not the most confident person ever, your post-sex look was your favorite.

Running a hand through your silky mane, you head to your bathroom to clean up your face before crossing the hall to your computer room where you find your camera charging, exactly as you left it. The batter was full and you feel it’s a good a time as any to start the days vlog. It was something you started merely eight or nine months ago, after moving away from your friends and family, you thought it would be an interesting way to keep in touch as well as let other people see in to your life. You switch on the camera and turn it to face you, giving it a cheeky grin.

“Good morning, Interwebs!” You greet, voice a little hoarse and groggy due to the fact that you had just woken up. With a quick glance toward the clock you begin to ramble a little. “See, technically it’s the afternoon but you can’t even tell because who even cares right? So yesterdays vlog was really short and I know it sucked, and I promise you todays won’t be any better because a good friend of mine was actually playing a show last night and I went to see that... I would have brought the camera and filmed some of it but it was nearly dead and I didn’t even get a minute to charge it before I had to go. Anyway, he crashed at my place last night and I have to take him to the airport this evening.” You pouted in to the camera, casually leaving out the part that this ‘friend’ of yours spent almost half the night with his face between your thighs. “His show was freaking awesome, though. I was glad I got to go see it. And him.” You’re wandering your place now, making sure not to go near the couch where Danny’s naked form continues to sleep. 

You settled on going to make breakfast and entered the kitchen, immediately digging through the fridge for something. You kept the camera on, casually mumbling about how you had barely anything to eat and you’d have to do groceries soon It made you groan, noting one thing you hated about living on your own was having to do your own damn grocery shopping.

“Since it’s my friend’s last day in town, I’m probably going to spend it either playing video games or dragging his ass around. But honestly, I’ve been exhausted this passed week and I just don’t even feel like leaving the house.” You shrugged, grabbing a pan and started heating it up whilst mixing ingredients for pancakes. “He’ll probably be up soon, so I’ll cut to when I’m doing something worth vlogging about.” A hand is place over the camera lens and you shut it off, turning all your attention to the task at hand of making breakfast for you and Dan.

Humming to yourself, you dig around for a spatula in your utensils drawers. It isn’t long before Dan’s voice is heard from the doorway, startling you a little. You don’t even have to look over to know that he is still completely naked and it makes the small smile on your face grow larger. He could be so fucking shameless.

“Did I hear you talking to yourself a minute ago?” He asks, sounding just as groggy and hoarse as you had.

“Vlogging.” You nodded toward your camera.

“Oh yeah,” he comes over and snakes his long arms around your waist, head resting lazily on your shoulder. “I forgot you did those...”

“I left you out, don’t worry.”

He kisses the side of your face before settling again, “I appreciate it.”

It kind of hurt, but you knew that it was best keeping this relationship (whatever it was) between you two as quiet as possible. You weren’t embarrassed of him, and you hoped he wasn’t of you but with his growing popularity and your own just starting to take off, it seemed like the best idea. At least for now. 

You flip the pancakes and toss them on to a plate as they finish, satisfied with the way they were coming out. Dan always liked to teased you because you weren’t much of a cook, but you made the meanest pancake ever.

“I have to be at the airport for six” He mentions briefly, arms falling from around you as he goes to the bathroom and to find his discarded boxers. He doesn’t hear you sigh, or see the deep frown that has now set on your face, but it’s there. It pained you t know he was going to be so far away again.

While he’s gone, you set the table and sit down, waiting patiently for him to come back before you start eating. He’s stuffing his face quietly, save for a few comments about how much he loves your pancakes. When he’s done, he’s on his feet, putting his plate in the dishwasher.

“Mind if I take a shower?” His arms are raised to allow himself to stretch, long limbs falling behind his back. You watch the way his body arches, hip bones like a trail to the treasure you most desired. You can feel yourself beginning to lose touch with reality again as you stare, unable to help it. He just looks so good.

“I was going to say,” you recover after a moment, “because you kind of stink.”

He can sense the playfulness in your words and mocks a hurtful look before turning swiftly away and stalking off to the bathroom, once again discarding his boxers. You find yourself in a trance, legs moving on their own to follow him while tossing off your shirt. Your foot is in the door before he can close it, but he doesn’t look the least bit surprised. Danny steps aside to let you in before moving to turn on the water and let it heat up.

Immediately, you’re on your knees in front of him. Your head cocked upward to take him in your mouth. A small gasp escapes him, but he is otherwise silent. Glancing up, you could see his eyes closed, his bottom lip stuck between his teeth. It was such a satisfying scene, seeing him like this. His knees shook slightly, forcing him to lean back against the counter. You grip the base of his throbbing shaft, the other hand delicately fondling his balls. Just the way he likes it.

“Fuck...” He manages after a few moments, regaining some of his balance. Just enough to remove one of his white knuckled hands from the counter to settle in your hair. “Just like that..”

Danny pulls you in just a little more, your head bobbing up and down his dick at the speed he commands. It causes you to gag a little, feeling him fill your throat so fully but you don’t mind when he keeps you there, compromising your breathing and causing your eyes to water. A moan escapes you, face red hot from how wonderful it felt to be practically choked. Finally, he releases you, allowing you to breathe and you take the air in with need. Danny is panting, his hips thrusting and you can tell he’s getting close. You look up at him again, his face contorting in absolute pleasure when finally you feel him explode in your mouth.

The taste makes you cringe just a little, not all that used to it. Usually you’d let him cum on your face or chest, because swallowing was not really okay. That hot, sticky after taste that remained in the back of your throat was less than desired and Dan knew this. 

You sit back, wanting him to move so you can spit it out in to the sink. You can feel it dribbling out the corners of your mouth and down your neck. Dan is smirking to widely, but you appear less than amused.

“What?” He tilts his head, “not going to swallow?” He asks in a sickeningly beautiful tone, making your throat muscles tense without thought, the warmth rushing down and making you squirm. He offers you his hand and pulls you up, humming in your ear before hungrily dipping his head down and licking some of his cum off your skin. The shivers that run up your spine are intense and you’re forced to lean against him for support. “Now we’re even.”

He licks his lips, your eyes lock on the motion before he leads you in to the steamy shower left waiting for you two. The rush of water pours down your body as you wash away the evidence of what took place over the last day.Dan is quietly singing as he washes himself down. Once lathered with soap, he presses himself in close to you, chest against your back and runs his large, slick and soapy hands down over your breasts. They travel further down, the innocent action of helping you wash up totally erotic, but it never goes further than that. You both finish cleaning up and get out. The apartment is quiet again, besides the ticking clock and you enjoy the peace while drying off.

Danny is soon mumbling about his lack of clothes and you smile knowingly. While he brushes his teeth (to get the taste of his cum out of his mouth, no doubt) you go and grab the sweat pants and t-shirt you purchased for him in case he ever stayed over. Things could get messy between you two and it never hurt to be prepared. Especially when you knew chances were that he wouldn't be.

“Here.” You hand him the folded pieces of clothes and he blinks, shaking his head before leaning down to press his lips firmly against yours.

“When did you get these?”

“Last time.” You shrug, “they’ll be comfortable for the plane, too.”

“Thank you.” He dressed in the dark grey sweats and plain black t. The shirt is a little baggy on him, but that’s just how you like it. After feeling satisfied with his attire, you leave to put on your own clothes. His reaction is priceless, grinning widely when you return in a Starbomb t-shirt and lace panties.

“I love that shirt.” He mused.

“Thanks,” you laugh, “they’re like one of my favorite bands ever.”

”Oh really?” Dan raises an eyebrow, going along with the charade.

“Their lead singer is a total hottie.” You fan yourself, batting your lashes at him.

“What was that losers name again..?”

It makes you giggle, wrapping your arms around his middle and burying your nose in to his chest. “It’s you, silly.”

“Oh, right.” Dan rests his chin on your head and the two of you stand silently in the hallway like that for what seems like an eternity.

Finally, you muster up the courage to speak again. Say what’s on your mind. “Danny?”

“Hmm..?” He sounds sleepy.

“I’m really going to miss you.”

He takes in a breath through his nose sharply. “I know you will. I’m gunna miss you too.”

“I wish you could stay longer.”

“Me too..”

But part of you just can’t believe his words. You shut your eyes as tightly as you can and count to ten. How stupid was it to be almost in tears over this? He wasn’t going to be gone forever but you just knew it would be a long time before you could be this close again.

“Maybe I’ll come visit you next time.” You offer, but the hope is lacking in your voice.

Dan’s words are barely above a whisper, “I’d like that a lot.”

It took you awhile, but eventually you broke away from him to shuffle over to the couch. “Wanna play Super Smash Bros.?”

“Uh, duh!” A bright smile returns to his face, “but don’t get pissed when I beat your ass.”

His words make you blush but you ignore it and grin at him. “Oh please, I’ve seen you gaming skill. You play like a little girl!”

“It’s on!” He jumps over the back of the couch and takes his seat next to you. You hand him a controller, characters are selected and you’re off. Battling it out like there was no tomorrow.

“So guys,” you say as your hand comes off the lens of your camera. Dan is sitting next to you, but just off frame. He’s still gaming, though quietly now. “My friend and I were having a discussion about which character from the original Smash Bros. Is the best. Which one is your favorite? Leave a comment below and let me know. Personally, Link is my all time favorite and I literally always win when I play as him.” Dan snorts, though its barely audible. “Then you’ve got assholes like Kirby who fucking suck you up and spit out out over the edge, and he’s got that fucking ability to come back from literally anything. Or got damn DK who just fucks your shit up!” Dan stifles a laugh and you find yourself grinning. “Like what the hell is that about? Anyway, like I said this morning, today is literally the most boring vlog ever but maybe tomorrow will be better if I actually decide to, you know, DO something.”

You turn the camera off again and set it down on the coffee table, picking up your controller to join the game once more. Dan is still smiling, but you don’t say anything about it. It wasn’t all that unusual after all.

Time flies by all too quickly and before you know it, you’re driving Dan to the airport. You make a quick stop to get his bag from the venue he played the night before and then you’re saying your parting good byes. 

His arms are tight around you as he holds you close to his chest, mumbling about how he would see you soon and he’d text you as soon as he landed so you’d know he was okay. It put your mind at ease, if only a little but you still wish he could stay, even just one more day. 

“Bye, Danny.”

“See you.” He kisses your head a final time before disappearing in to the airport. It’s almost ten minutes before you finally turn and head out of there. You imagine to most people you look like a total moron, but it doesn’t matter. You get back in your car and start up your camera, driving down the highway and balancing it on the steering wheel.

“Saying good bye is hard, right? So my bud’s on his way home and I already miss him. It just sucks because I know I’m not going to get to see him for a long ass time. But I’ll brave the months before we get to hang out again, because I mean... Friendship doesn’t just go away when you’re apart. What’s that quote? Distance makes the heart grow fonder? Or something. I don’t know.” At a stop light, you look directly at the camera, right at him. “Have a safe trip, dude. Try not to miss me too much.”

You didn’t even know if he’d watch the video, but it made you feel better to think that he would. You set the camera down in the passenger seat and drove the rest of the way home. When you unlock the door and head inside, the smell of your time with Danny lingered in the air. His forgotten jeans lay over the arm of the couch and his shirt on the hallway floor with his boxers. You cleaned up the small mess and went to start the dish washer. You debated whether or not to do laundry but decided against it, wanting to keep his scent around for at least one more night.

As the night drew nearer, you decided you’d done enough editing and uploaded yesterdays vlog. You turned on your camera one last time for the night, running tired fingers through messy hair.

“Though my day wasn’t the most eventful, it was definitely emotionally exhausting so I’ll be heading to bed early. Hope you guys enjoyed the shitty video today and tomorrow is a new adventure. So what are you waiting for? Go vlog yourself!’

Sticking out your tongue and scrunching up your nose, you turn off the camera and set it down next to your computer so you remember to upload the days footage in the morning. You get up and head to your bedroom, curling up in bed with Dan’s shirt tucked neatly under your head. You stare at your phone, the smell of him gently luring you to sleep while looking at his text.

_Home safe. Miss you already. <3 Good night._


	3. Chapter 3

“Hey friends,” you say to your camera, perched on your computer chair whilst editing yesterdays footage. “I want to once again apologize for the lack of content recently. Like I said, I’m a little mixed up recently. My friend coming to town the other day was totally unexpected and I really wanted to see him because it had been a very long time since we’d last been together. I’m uploading yesterdays video in literally minutes from now so this will all make sense when you see it tomorrow. My days are so messed up. I really am sorry for putting the video up so late yesterday, I’ll be back on track soon. I noticed quite a few comments from you guys asking me what’s going on and mentioning the fact that I’ve been no where as far as social media goes these last few days. I’m ready to get back on track and that’ll probably start with a selfie on Instagram once I’ve taken a shower. So follow me there if you haven’t already? I dunno. That’s it, good morning and let’s see what’s going to happen today shall we?”

You set the camera down and put the final touches on your video, not thinking much of it as you begin rendering and once that’s done you allow it to upload to your channel. As per usual, it’s going to take awhile so you leave it to do its business and go to take a shower before eating breakfast.

As soon as the video finishes uploading, you’re greeted by a barrage of comments about the Starbomb shirt you had been sporting part way through the video. It didn’t come as much of a surprise that you had viewers who where also fans of the Game Grumps but what was kind of alarming was how quick people began to guess as to who your friend might be. Barry, Ross, Arin? It relieved you to see, while sitting down to have breakfast, that other people were reminding these commentors that you had mentioned your friends had been playing a show. Dan and Brian were the next guess but people shut that theory down just as quickly. Brian was not even in the same country and Danny wasn’t playing shows as far as anyone knew. You were rather impressed to say the least, not sure if you regretted wearing that shirt on camera or not. At least you had simply mentioned Dan as a friend so things didn’t go far. What’s more adorable, is people commenting how cute you look with ‘bed head’. You simply shake your head and go back to eating, setting your phone down as to not distract yourself and miss your mouth like you had already done at least four or five times now.

After breakfast, the sounds of the day beginning around you unfold. You listen to the world wake up and greet the morning as you wander to your bedroom to get dressed. You decide on something comfortable and take that selfie like you promised with the tag line ‘Grocery Gal’. It was innevitable, your place was practically void of any kind of food and it was time. You quickly scroll through your texts and find Danny’s number, sending him a good morning text although you’re not sure if he’s even awake yet or not. He’ll get it eventually, you think with a smile, hoping he had a good night.

The grocery store is rather busy early in the morning, to your dismay. Had you not been so tired last night you would have just done it then. After 2am grocery shopping was so much easier. What’s even more awkward is people staring at you while you talk to your camera. 

“People always stare,” you say, “and honestly I never get used to it. They either look super mad, curious, or like I’m a moron. I guess that’s normal, considering I’m literally talking to no one. But I know better. I’m talking to all 108,000 of you. Seriously guys, thank you so much for subscribing and everything. I appreciate it more than you could ever know. I’m just an idiot with a camera, trying to find her way through stuff and I’m glad you enjoy checking it out once in awhile. This was just a thing I started to keep updates for myself and my friends and family... Then it just became something so much more amazing than that.”

...

Meanwhile, a few states away, Danny is just getting up. The first thing he does is feel around for his phone, charging on the bed next to him. It takes him a moment to scroll through everything on the notifications screen, laughing at the texts he receives from Arin, saying he was going to stick it right in his butt as soon as he got back. The last message at the bottom of the screen made him shake his head a little, running a hand over his hair as he sat up to slide the screen and unlock it.

_How’s my Jersey boy? I hope you got as much sleep last night as I did. Forgot some of your stuff at my place, but I’ll keep it for you for the next time you come down. Yeah. Anyway, text me some time alright, dude? Have a good day. ;P_

Dan finds himself smiling, despite what the text made his heart do. He was unsure, so unsure about their whole dynamic. One minute he wanted to tear her clothes off and take her from behind, the others just hold her and kiss her and tell her how he feels. But they didn’t see each other enough. It seems in so many ways that whatever they are, it’s a friends with benefits thing and he had to accept that. They didn’t see each other or talk to each other nearly enough to be considered a long distance relationship. They’d talk for a few weeks now and then he’d stop replying and she’d stop trying. Until he made his way to her town for whatever reason and they’d see each other. It’s always the same. And no one knows.

For the longest time, he knew he’d had her wrapped around his finger but Dan was always cautious about how much he led her on. When the two had first met, Dan was in his late twenties and she was barely on her way to being eighteen. She was so much younger and more naive than he was, but she was smart in many other ways, funny, and beautiful. His heart would beat wildly when he saw her, his skin on fire when they would touch. Everything about her made him want to be close and at the same time as far away as possible. She would do anything for him, and made that clear, but Danny still can’t come to terms with all that power. He doesn’t know how to handle it all the time.

Shuffling outside his door brings him from his thoughts and he gets up, greeting Barry who is on his way to take a shower. 

“Are we going to Arin’s after?” 

“Uh, yeah.”

“How was your trip by the way? I didn’t see you get in last night. Must have been asleep.” Barry chuckled a little.

“Yeah, I got in around ten or eleven? Went straight to bed. The trip was good. A pal of mine was playing a gig at this little place and wanted me to come sing with them for a couple songs. Met up with some people afterward.” He shrugged, making light of the whole situation. “But I had fun.”

Barry had a half grin on his face, patting Dan’s shoulder before he continues to the bathroom. “Good, glad to have you back, though.”

The laugh Dan forces went unnoticed and soon Barry is behind the closed door. It left the taller man in silence, leaning back against the wall with a hand in his hair. He pulls out his phone once again and reads over the message another time before finding the courage within himself to reply to it.

_It’s Cali boy now, girlfran! I’m a little tired but I slept most of the night. Have a good one_

He didn’t expect to get a reply back and went to eat before getting dressed to head to Arin’s. While he waited for Barry, he browsed the internet and happened upon youtube, deciding to check out her vlogs. He makes sure to click the newest one, knowing it’s the one she filmed while he was there.

_“Saying good bye is hard, right? So my bud’s on his way home and I already miss him. It just sucks because I know I’m not going to get to see him for a long ass time. But I’ll brave the months before we get to hang out again, because I mean... Friendship doesn’t just go away when you’re apart. What’s that quote? Distance makes the heart grow fonder? Or something. I don’t know.” At what appears to be a stop light, she looks directly at the camera, right at him. “Have a safe trip, dude. Try not to miss me too much.”_

Dan’s heart is slamming against his rib cage. Even through a computer screen, she makes him feel things he hasn’t felt in quite some time with anyone else. _Try not to miss me too much._ Her voice repeats in his head a hundred times over. Making him mutter to himself, “yeah right.”

_I miss you more than you’ll ever miss me._

...

“But really, if I have to drive behind one more slow asshole I’m going to lose my mind. I feel even worse for my friends from Cali and New York. They probably have it like a thousand times worse than I do. Colorado isn’t so bad, but there’s shitty drivers everywhere. Right, internet?” You laugh, making sure to keep your eyes on the road as you drive yourself and your groceries home.

The trip up to your floor is a killer, making you wish you had a mate to holler to that could come and help you with all your shit. But sadly, that wasn’t the case. It never is. You get everything inside in one go, and with an exasperated sigh, pat yourself on the back for the amazing work. Now you’re sitting in your kitchen, organizing and putting things away and it’s barely noon. Your thoughts are all your own until you go back to your phone and are instantly pulled from reality and focused on Dan.

_It’s Cali boy now, girlfran! I’m a little tired but I slept most of the night. Have a good one_

His text brings a smile to your face, shaking your head as you read it over. It seems he sent it just after you left and you send a sad face emoticon in reply before setting up in your computer room for more filming. The day is slow for you, doing nothing exciting and making for an even less exciting video but some days you just needed this. To be able to be mopy and lazy, dressed in sweats and not bothering with looking good.

....

Dan hears his phone and jumps a little, causing Arin to glance over at him and raise an eyebrow. He shakes his head and smiles, picking up the phone to text whoever had just sent him one.

“What’s going on with you?” Arin asks, but in no way making Dan feel like his back is against a wall. Arin was good at that. His voice a comforting, friendly tone.

“Might be coming down with a cold.” He responds, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Why?”

“Somethings off,” Arin points out, “dunno.”

“I’m fine.” Danny assures his best friend with a nudge, “are we starting or what?”

“Welcome back to Game Grumps.” Arin starts, picking up his controller and the two go on their usual explanation and jokes about the game they’re playing. 

Sure something was wrong, but bothering Arin with such trivial things like this was not something he wanted to dump on him right now. After meeting with her things were never right but he was sure by the end of the week he’d be back to his old self. He’d tel himself he has to stop doing this, knowing full well he can’t and part of him... part of him is okay with that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, finally a new chapter. Sorry this took so long. I'll try and update more frequently!

Days pass, that turned in to week, then turned in to months. Things had gone back to the way they were before and you were more focused than ever before. As the seasons changed, your life began to take a turn as well. Whether it’s for the better or worse, you’re still not sure, but there is a turn in the weather. You can just feel it. As summer begins to approach, you are doing more and that’s making for more interesting videos. You decided recently to only post a few videos a week and give yourself a break because the daily thing was just getting to be too much for you and with recent events, you needed days where you could do nothing.

Sitting on your window sill, you stare out at the dark night sky. The moon is hanging over head, gleaming down and grinning at you mischievously. It’s one of those moments where you allow your thoughts to go to him and almost immediately regret it. Tears form in your eyes as you think of all the things you’ve missed out for wasting your time on that bastard. His chocolate eyes encapsulating you in their beauty, his smile making you weak at the knees. You know he doesn’t want you, he makes it clear every time he finishes with you. For the first little while, he’ll answer your texts and emails, but as time goes on they become shorter and less full of the person he is. Until one day it all just...

**Stops.**

“Why do you keep doing this to me, Danny?” You ask the silence around you, wiping your eyes with the sleeve of your sweater. “Why do I keep doing this to myself?”

...

Dan’s eyes are focused so hard on his screen, he doesn’t even notice Arin coming up behind him. It’s the third time in the last month he’s seen Danny watching this girls videos. And every time he brings it up it’s almost like he caught him watching porn. Though curious, Arin left ift alone but it was getting to be too much. Something about the way his shoulders would tense and the look he would get on his face told him he should try to press a little further. He just didn’t know what to say that would make Danny open up to him.

“She’s a cutie.” Arin said, making his presence known to Dan who immediately slams the laptop closed and begins to stutter like a child with his hand in the cookie jar.  
“Yeah,” he attempts to recover, “she is I guess..”  
Arin takes a seat and puts his arm behind Dan on the back of the couch. “So who is she?”  
“She’s...” Dan is searching for the words, Arin can see it in his eyes and stays quiet, allowing him all the time he needed. “Fuck Arin, I don’t even know.”  
“Hey man,” his friend pats his shoulder, “we all have our internet crushes.”  
Dan shakes his head.  
“What?”  
“She’s a really good friend of mine. Or she was. I don’t know.”  
“Ah.”  
“I guess I miss her a lot?” He tries but Arin just smiles. “Something tells me I fucked up with her.”  
“What did you do?”  
“It’s what I didn’t do. What I don’t do. I ignore her calls and her texts. I just never know what to say.”

Arin is taken aback, though he had expected something like this, hearing it come out of Dan’s mouth was a whole different story. Not to mention, Dan didn’t seem the type that would have that hard of a time talking to someone he was friends with. He was a smooth guy who could light up a room if he wanted to. He was charismatic and charming to no end. It didn’t make a lot of sense to Arin at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he suspected there was more to this story than Danny was letting on.

Dan sighs to himself, “I wouldn’t be surprised if she hates me.”  
“Hates you?” Arin gives Danny’s shoulder a squeeze, “never.”

Silence hangs between them for a long time before Danny opens the laptop again and hits play on the video. The girl is outside, on a stone bridge with an umbrella in her hands, it’s clearly raining and she’s walking around in it vlogging. She doesn’t exactly look sad but the scenery provides a completely different feeling.

_“Someone brought this up to me in one of my last videos and I thought I would share a few words with you that I think a lot of you need to hear. When I was in high school, I was always depressed.” She began, “I mean I was dark and lonely, and I hated everyone and everything. Nothing could make me happy, I literally went out of my way to make sure I was the exact opposite of happy. I was one of the select cases because when I was a teenager it wasn’t such a common thing, or one that you would flaunt around so nonchalantly. I mean, I hid my problems from my friends and my family. Those friends that I did have anyway, people I kept around because as they say misery loves company.. I was hateful toward my parents and my teachers, just a real piece of work. I never thought things would get better until one day I met this guy who completely changed my world, not to say or imply you need a man to make you hapy. That’s not what I mean at all. You can do it by yourself because you’re a strong independent person and you need no man or woman or otherwise to make you happy. All you need is yourself. People who’ve been depressed know it’s not as easy as waking up one day and deciding not to be sad anymore, but what a lot of people fail to realize is that it can be that easy. You have to wake up and decide it’s time to take the necessary steps to get to the point of happiness. I learned to accept what I couldn’t change and work on what I could. It’s so fucking cliche, but that’s helped me through so much crap. Sure I still get real sad sometimes, but then I think that sometimes things suck but at the end of the day as long as I keep trucking forward things will one day look up. Seize the day, guys. You never know when things are going to change and be fucking amazing.”_

She sits against the bridge and looks right in to the camera, her eyes captivating both viewers. Arin tilts his head slightly and listens to the rainfall around her, oddly soothed by it. She smiles, shedding a few tears which could possibly be mistaken for rain drops if you weren’t paying close enough attention.

_“So just because you didn’t get the best grade, or your mom’s not that nice, or that guy never texts you back even though you’re totally smitten... Don’t worry. If shit is a million times worse than that, don’t worry. If you’re in an abusive relationship, drop it like a bad habbit. Addicted to drugs? Take the steps to learn about rehab programs close to you. You have to want to get better and decide that you’re going to is the first step. Don’t dwell on the negative things that at the end of the day just don’t matter. You’re doing yourself no favors. Give it the pain it’s worth and then start to move on. It’s not going to happen overnight, you’re not going to get better in ten seconds but saying that you can’t do it isn’t an excuse anymore. Talk to your doctors if you’re depressed, try putting yourself out there a bit more if you have anxiety. You never know until you try, until you take that leap of faith and say ‘you know what, I’m not going to let this fear control me anymore’. Because that’s what I’ve decided to do. I’m not going to bore you with all the issues I’ve had over the course of my life, maybe at a later time if that’s something that you think could help you find your own means to the happiness. I can’t dwell anymore. I can’t let things get me down when I know that I’m only stopping myself from enjoying other things. This turned in to a big long rant and I’m sorry. I hope I can get at least one of you amazing people to think for a second and I love you all so much. Now what are you waiting for? Go vlog yourself!”_

Her cheeky grin makes Dan’s heart sink deeper in to his stomach, the video cuts to black and he shuts the laptop again. Both he and Arin sit in silence for quite some time before finally turning to look at each other.

“She was talking about you, wasn’t she?”  
Danny shrugs and sets the computer down on the table in front of him. “Probably...”  
“Why don’t you call her?”  
“She’s probably sleeping.” He shrugs, not wanting to do anything brash that could make him spill his insides to her on the phone. He just couldn’t handle that now.  
“Tomorrow?”  
“Maybe. Do you want to start the next game or..?”  
Arin shakes his head, “we’ve done enough for now. Why don’t we watch a movie or something?”  
“Yeah,” he nods, “that could be good...”

Arin knew that Dan was probably going to come up with any excuse he could not to contact her but let it slide. He had her youtube username and that was a start. He gives his friend another pat before getting up to go choose a movie to distract him for the time being. All the while, the gears are turning in Arin’s head, knowing that he would have to try and go out on a limb for his friend. He wasn’t sure how it would all play out in the end but he couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t at least a bit hopeful. She seemed warm and kind, understanding and level headed. He was sure if he made a convincing argument it would be something she couldn’t refuse.

...

_Hello Miss, my name is Arin Hanson and I am contacting you on behalf of my best friend Danny! Lately he’s been really down in the dumps and I was wondering if you could help me with that? I know that the two of you are friends and I think it would do wonders for him if you could come down to see him. I know it’s a bit out of your way but I would have no problem with paying for your plane ticket here and back home. I really can’t stand seeing him like this and it would mean a lot to me (and him!) if you would say yes. I’ll send along my number and email as soon as you reply, thank you for taking the time to read this and everything. I really appreciate it and I know Dan will too.._

_Arin._

Egoraptor? Huh..

Staring at the email, you find the tears are starting again but quickly brush them away and focus on the words laid out in front of you. Something must be seriously wrong if Arin is contacting you and if Dan is as sad as he’s saying then even if you hate him, you’re unable to stop yourself from replying to the email, all the while browsing for the soonest flight out.

_Arin, thanks for your message and I’m sorry to hear about Danny. :( I really hope I can make it out in the next few days. My job allows me to travel, so I don’t see that being any trouble for me. I couldn’t ask you to pay for my flights, in fact, I’m booking my own as we speak. Seems I’ll be able to come as soon as tomrrow. I would like to ask you if it would be possible to pick me up from the airport at 6pm? I’ll send you a text once I get your number to make sure everything is a go. Have a good day, and thank you for bringing this to my attention. I would do anything for a friend and I see that so would you. I really respect that and look forward to meeting you. :)_

After booking the flight, you hurry to pack a bag. You’re not sure how long you’ll be staying but hope it won’t be too long. Doing this was a risk and you knew it but it was one you were willing to take for Dan. Whatever was eating him alive was starting to gnaw at your skin as well and you didn’t even know why. Arin sends you his number and the two of you text a few more details back and forth before saying your good byes. You stare at the messages for a long time before shutting everything down for the night. As you crawl in to bed, realization sets in and you close your eyes to drift off to sleep.

You’re going to see Dan again tomorrow...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> F i n a l l y.   
> I'm the worst. I know.

As soon as you wake up in the morning you're getting ready to head out to California. It's such a last minute decision that you don't even give yourself a chance to think about backing out. Arin wouldn't just reach out to you like that if he didn't think something was actually wrong and that was enough for you to spring immediately in to action. You packed all the necessaties before finally setting your camera in your carry on and tossed your suitcase and bag in to the car. You quickly get changed in to plane appropriate sweat pants and a wife beater, not wanting this ride to be anymore uncomfortable than you know it’s already going to be. It wasn’t an overly warm morning, but you were sure that once you were in California, you’d be dying from the heat.

The plane ride felt far longer than it actually was, the anticipation itself was completely killing you. Once you touched down, you would have no escape, you would have to face the man that had caused so much turmoil inside you and push that aside to help him with whatever problems he was having. Because that’s who you were. You didn’t want to admit that you had those special feelings for Danny, the ones you promised you would only have for one and wished desperately that Dan didn’t have to be it. Two men chatted idly next to you as sat practically crushed between them with a book in hand. You tried to distract yourself and read but it was far too hard. You settled on putting in your earphones and drowning out the noises around you with music until the seatbelt light flashed on again and the pilot announced that you would be landing in no more than ten minutes.

After being crushed and cramped for a few hours, it was a relief to finally be out of that airplane. Flying was not one of your favorite things in the world and being able to use your legs again was the best feeling ever. Until you realized where you were and what you were doing. Stopping for a moment, you stared ahead with a horrified look on your face. You were in California. Miles away from home to see this guy, this guy who probably had no idea you were coming for a reason you knew almost nothing about. Your better judgement told you to turn the hell around and buy a ticket home but your heart forced you to move forward, going to find your suitcase and wheel it out to the front entrance where Arin had told you to meet him.

It was easier than expected to find him, instantly noticing the pink and white shirt he sported. You smiled a little, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear and slowly making your way over to him. He didn’t notice you, looking down at his phone preoccupied with whatever was on the screen.

“The one and only Arin Hanson.” You find the courage to speak up and greet him, fixing the bag strap on your shoulder awkwardly. You give the tall man a once over, chuckling at his adorable shirt. He smiles and slides the phone in to his pocket, offering his hand for a shake and you accept. He bows his head slightly to meet your eyes, the smile he wears making you feel warm.

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” His grin brightens his entire kind face, you’re put at ease immediately just by standing near him after the uncomfortable flight. Arin stands up straight after a moment and takes the suitcase you’re dragging behind you, leading you back to his car.

After a few moments of silence you glance over and open your mouth to speak, unable to keep the burning thought in your head away. “How is he...?”

“He’s not himself.” Arin admits, letting a breath out throught his nose. “I left him sleeping before coming to pick you up. We were grumping in to the early morning hours last night.”

“Did you tell him I was coming?”

Arin turns and gives you a wink. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“He’s not going to be happy...” You mumble, but Arin isn’t quite so pessimistic. He chuckles to himself and shakes his head, the sound making the awful feeling in your stomach grow smaller as if his very precence had made you feel more comfortable. There was something about Arin that you couldn’t put your finger on, but liked a lot. Something that just warranted good vibes and soon you were relaxing back in your seat, laughing and joking with him to pass the time.

When his house came in to view and he pulled in to the driveway, that feeling of absolute dread resurfaced. With a deep breath, you got out of the car and threw your bag back over your shoulder. Arin took the suitcase and led you quietly inside. He kicked off his shoes and announced his arrival back home, at which point a beautiful woman with long dark hair came around the corner, sporting a single chunk of blonde. A smile formed on her lips and you couldn’t help but smile back, recognizing Suzy immediately. As you two exchanged greetings, Arin took your bags to the guest room and casually checked the Grump room to see Dan awake and recording a few episodes of Steam Train with Ross. He cursed a little, having expected more time to come up with some plan before the jew woke up but it didn’t seem that was going happen.

“Is Dan still asleep?” You raised an eyebrow at Suzy who shook her head, faintly you could hear voices in the other room and it only made your heart pick up its pace. Dan’s voice was loud and clear, just down the hall. It had been months since you heard that voice on anything other than computer speakers. It made your knees weak but you decided to ignore it and follow Suzy in to the kitchen for a cup of tea to relax your nerves.

...

“Arin, you’re back!” Ross exclaimed, turning to see his friend standing in the doorway as they said their good byes to the lovelies. A wide grin spread across his face and Dan turned to see his friend standing there, arms crossed over his chest. “How’s it going buddy?”

“It’s going, Ross listen, could you give Dan and me a minute?”

“Sure thing.” The Aussie stood and left the room, heading to the kitchen to grab a drink. He stopped short and furrowed his brows not recognizing the girl sitting opposite Suzy, petting Mimi and chatting about girl things. He crossed the room and opened the fridge door, not wanting to disturb the two. As he wolfed down a glass of milk, he glanced at the girl repeatedly, sure he’d seen her before but not at all being able to put a finger on it. That was, until Suzy introduced them to each other. A light in his head went off immediately, almost jumping up and down. “From that video!”

You smiled at him and shook her head a little confused, “what video?”

“Arin showed me,” his wide grin is infectious, “it was like you poking fun at gaming channels on youtube but talking about how they’re good for other people and stuff. It was just really cool, and now I can kind of see why you did it. I liked it a lot.”

A dark blush reddened your cheeks, not used to getting a compliment to your face like that. He was just so genuine, you couldn’t actually believe he was saying it. Bowing your head, you thanked him repeatedly, shrugging a little. “I like your videos as well. You're an amazing artist, super creative."

He blushed, giving you a big goofy smile in thanks. Ross was about to open his mouth to speak again when Arin came in to the room, clearing his throat. You all glanced over and standing behind him was none other than Dan. Your breath hitched in your throat, locking eyes with the crazy haired jew. He blinked a few times as if trying to assess whether the situation was real before smiling and giving you a casual hello. 

You stood and went over, robotically wrapping your arms around his middle in a tight hug. Immediately you forgot all about the pain and hurt, the struggles you had over him and you were just so happy to see him again. The two of you played it off well, just two friends who haven't seen each other in a long time.

"I missed you, big guy." You mutter, more to yourself than him.  
"Ditto."  
"I told you I'd come by next time." You step back and smile up at him, a small laugh escaping the both of you.  
Dan nodded, "so you did. And here you are... Why didn't you tell me?"  
"My fault!" Arin cut in to the conversation. "I thought I'd surprise ya."  
"You shouldn't have." Dan responds with another laugh but both you and Arin shared a knowing glance. 

The way his eyes shifted when he said that.. he was upset. You gave Arin a small apologetic smile and he shakes his head as if to tell you it's not at all your fault before suggesting you all go out to eat somewhere. In that moment you realized just how starving you were and nodded, hoping Dan wouldn't decline. And he didn't. He was going to act like he wasn't angry about the whole thing but anyone who knew him well enough could tell this whole situation had put him in a position that he did not like.

"I'll show you the guest room," Arin said, "then you can get changed if you want and we can go?"  
"Sounds good." You followed after him, "he's mad."  
"He's not happy, that's for sure." A sigh escaped the raptor and you bump your hip against his.   
"Well, I'm here now and I'm just going to have to change that."  
His negative expression brightened, “I knew you were the right one to call...”

Arin nodded toward the room and you walk inside, turning to give him a smile before shutting the door to change. He thanks you before walking away and you go through your bag for something California dinner appropriate. What the hell was California dinner appropriate?

For a moment you lean back against the door and try to force back a hard sob. This was not good, you could feel the tension building all the way down the hall where Dan stood, festering in his rage. He wasn’t going to outwardly say anything but you could just feel it.

Finally settling on shorts that didn't look overly awful and a light, yet slightly baggy sweater, you leave the room and nearly walk right in to someone you didn't immediately recognize. He stumbles over his words, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head before your eyes meet.

"Sorry about that."  
"Dude, my fault." You responded, holding out your hand and introducing yourself.  
"Oh yeah," he answered knowingly and shakes your hand. "Barry Kramer."  
"Pleasure."  
"Pleasures...all mine." He stuffed his hand back in his pocket and stepped around you to get to the bathroom while you go and rejoin the group, beaming just a little more.

Arin and Suzy are chatting idly as Dan puts on his shoes. You manage to sneak by unnoticed and touch his arm, causing him to flinch far more wildly than you expected. His hand comes up and you back away slightly, cowering before he realized what he was doing. Your name comes off as a dark whisper on his lips as he lowered his hand, clearing his throat and getting the others attention.

“Barry and Ross are going to stay here so it’ll just be the four of us.” Suzy announced, none the wiser to the scene that just occured behind her back. Arin pats his friend on the back and the four of you head out to the car, climbing in. Suzy and Arin in the front with you and Dan in the back.

His long legs fold up awkwardly, one knee gently brushing against yours but you don’t say anything about it. Instead, you occupy yourself with staring out the window and watching the scenery go by. It was not at all the kind of scene you were used to, but it was nice. It kept your mind from thinking too much about the current situation and just how awkward this dinner was going to be. 

You just hoped that with Arin and Suzy’s help you could get Dan out of whatever this mood he was in was....

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to make a suggestion, I'm all for hearing it.. Yeah. Idk.


End file.
